‘Man of Steel’ Has Already Made $160 Million Because the Movie Can Sell Just About Anything

Superman never uses his superpowers to make money. This is partly because he doesn't need that much money—tropical vacations are pretty much free for a guy who can fly faster than a speeding bullet—and partly because he's just so darned principled.

You know who's not as principled, though? Well, yes, me. But also the folks over at Warner Brothers who are making the new Superman movie, Man of Steel. According to Advertising Age, the highly anticipated summer blockbuster has over 100 "promotional partners" and has raked in $160 million in "collective promotional support." That eclipses the 50 promotional partners snagged by The Lorax and the $150 million in "promotional support" raked in by last summer's Dark Knight Rises

So what kind of promotional support are we talking about?

Well, there's obviously the standard slate of product placements for companies like Sears and 7-Eleven. Beyond that, though, is a bevy of cross-promotional tie-ins. Warby Parker has your Clark Kent eyeglasses; Gillette is running those "how does Superman shave" spots; Hardees/Carls Jr has your Super Bacon Thickburger; Nokia has special edition phones (in China); Chrysler has a special edition Dodge Ram truck...and the list goes on, and on, and on.

The point is, while the real Superman may be above greed, the people who own his rights definitely are not. As a result, they only need to make $15 million at the box office to break even on the project—and something tells me they're going to do a little better than that.